A New Day

"Let's move." Was all Bart said as he opened the door, with great hopes that nothing was in it but if anything, unharmed capable survivors. Gun at the ready he begins to sweep the house.

The screen door screeches in protest as Bart pulls it open, peering into the kitchen and, beyond it, the dining room. The kitchen is clean but in disarray with drawers pulled out and thier contents spilled on counters and floor. Flatwear, aluminum foil, bottles of cleaner, etc are strewn around. The dining room has only one thing out of place. One of the chairs, the one closest to the hall entrance, is overturned.

With no threat visible here, Bart moves to the hallway. Two doors, one on each side, are the only offshoots of the hall before the greatroom at the front of the house. Both are ajar and a slight push opens each one. On the left is a laundry room with the water heater. On the right is a bathroom. Both are clear. The greatroom stands void of life. A couch and loveseat sit in front of a fireplace and big screen TV. A bookshelf stands on the other side of the room. Stairs up are on the right with a closet under the stairs. The door to the closet is closed. Some of the books have been knocked out of the shelf. An end table has been knocked over, spilling the cordless phone base and a lamp. Pictures of the family hang on the wall.

Bart's heart was racing the whole time, who knew what would lurk around every corner. As they go room to room he scanned the place carefully thankfully not finding anything... yet. The upstairs still needed to be checked and considering that's where the bedrooms probably were, it's where people, bodies, or something worse would be. With his weapon on the stair well he said in a low voice to Amy,

"Go back to the door we came in, close it, and lock it. I want our rear secured. Once you get back we're going to check this closet and then upstairs. Check?"

Feeling somewhat relieved by the lack of anyone in the house, at least on the first floor that is, Amy breaths a short sigh. "Okay," she responds hesitantly toward Bart's request. Sure it was logical, but she half expected to see one of those monsters every time she turned around.

Danny shifts impatiently back and forth while he watches the others enter the silent houses.

He turns to Garcia, rubbing his head.
I don't like this, bub. This is like another war... but we don't have any secured base to operate out of. In fact, for all we know the whole country is like this. It is kind of like all of this is their territory - the Zeds!

He stops abruptly and paces a few steps. He then checks for 'unfriendlies'. Having another idea, he climbs onto the back of the pick up so he has a slightly more elevated view to check again.

As Amy goes to close the door Bart keeps his pistol trained on the stairs and the closet waiting for her return. The first order of business was going to be yanking the door on the closet open, just in case there was something hiding inside.

Bart continues to cover the stairs as Amy goes to cover thier six.

Danny climbs into the truck bed with everyone else, leaving an empty driver's seat.

Freezing in place as her eyes catch movement out in the back yard, Amy's eyes shoot wide as her heart begins to pound as she watches the female figure for a second, not quite able to make up her mind yet as to her course of action. Should she run and lock the door, call for Bart, or check to see if the woman is alright? And what about those still out in the truck? If this was a creature, there might be more around.

Swallowing the lump in her throat she manages to call back to Bart, "There's someone in the backyard," but continues to the back door, stopping just short of the threshold so she could peer around the corner and keep an eye on the woman, while not fully exposing herself in the process.

"Great" Was all Bart could think. Quickly he spoke up to her,

"Lock that door, come back through the front and put Garcia or Danny on it then get back in here so we can finish the sweep."

Great Amy yelled in her head. Reaching out she locked the back door and made her way through the unfamiliar house to the front. Upon reaching the front, she opens the front door and yells for one of the other marine, "There's someone in the back. By the barn."